Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

An analysis has been made of reports of fires in post war non-traditional dwellings returned by Fire Brigades in Great Britain in 1953. Two hundred and seventy seven temporary dwellings were damaged by fire in 1953 (17.7 per 10,000 dwellings at risk). Fires associated with the use of electricity accounted for almost half the fires of known cause. Thirty one non-fatal and two fatal casualties occurred as a result of fires in post war temporary dwellings in 1953. The total rate of incidence of fire in temporary dwellings is slightly higher than that for 1952, and continues the steady increase that has occurred since 1946, although it is still at about the level of the latest available overall figure for pre-war houses (1952). The increase is mainly due to the causes 'electric cooker', 'electric wire and cable' and 'flue'. There were 218 permanent non-traditional dwellings damaged by fire in 1953, (8.1 per 10,000 dwellings at risk). The causes 'fire in grate' and 'flue' together accounted for 39% of the fires of known cause, electrical causes were another important group. Thirteen serious fires were reported in permanent non-traditional dwellings, four of which occured in B.I.S.F. houses. There were 22 non-fatal casualties and one fatal casualty reported as a result of fires in permanent non-traditional dwellings. The total rate of incidence of fire in permanent non-traditional dwellings (8.1 damaged dwellings per 10,000 at risk per year) is significantly lower than that for 1952. There have been corresponding decreases in the rates of incidence for each of the main types of permanent non-traditional dwelling with the exception of the Laing-Easiform and the Weir types. The distribution of the causes of fires in permanent non-traditional dwellings follows much the same pattern as in previous years, the decrease in the total rate of incidence being mainly due to the causes 'fire in grate' and 'flue'.